Three people in Binh Phuoc Province, located in southern Vietnam, have been hospitalized for methanol poisoning after a man drinking with them died earlier this week.

Dr. Trinh Nhu Lai from the emergency treatment deparment of Military Hospital 175, which is treating the three methanol poisoning cases, said on Friday that the hospital is providing dialysis treatment for the patients.

The patients had joined a drinking party in Bu Dop District with many other people at around 6:00 pm on Wednesday.

After approximately three hours, the group consumed the entire six 500-milliliter pre-packaged bottles of alcohol.

After the party, Nguyen Xuan H., 40, suffered from tiredness and headache.

Around 9:00 pm on Thursday evening, H.’s health deteriorated, exhibiting symptoms of exhaustion, dizziness, and frequent vomiting.

H.’s family rushed him to a hospital for emergency treatment, but unfortunately, he passed away the following morning.

Alongside H., his wife and child, and a man named Hoang also experienced similar symptoms, including fatigue, vomiting, headaches, and more, requiring hospitalization. 

Subsequently, all three individuals were transferred to Military Hospital 175 in Ho Chi Minh City.

According to Dr. Lai, the prognosis for all three patients is grave, and dialysis is considered as a viable treatment option. 

The duration of the dialysis process will vary depending on each patient’s response to the treatment.

According to Dr. Hoang Van Quang, who leads the intensive care and anti-poison department at Thong Nhat Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, alcohol made from rice, glutinous rice, and cassava is ethanol, which is more expensive. 

On the other hand, industrial alcohol that contains methanol is considerably cheaper. 

Differentiating between these two types of alcohol is often challenging. 

However, in order to offer affordable alcohol for low-income individuals, sellers frequently dilute rice alcohol with industrial alcohol to reduce the selling price.

According to Dr. Quang, people experiencing methanol poisoning may exhibit symptoms such as low blood pressure, muscle weakness, impaired vision, excessive sweating, fever, convulsions, and even coma. 

In medical terms, if the concentration of methanol in the bloodstream exceeds 50 millimole per deciliter, it can result in severe poisoning necessitating dialysis. 

When the concentration rises above 80 millimole per deciliter, the likelihood of fatality is significantly increased.

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